Warming The Heart of a Cold Warrior
by Chaos Nightwing
Summary: A promise made upon death, a Pokemon born from tragedy, and a trainer on a mission: follow Calder Grimnir on his Pokemon Journey. A trainer with almost no emotion, he starts his journey alone, but learns that its okay to rely on others. Watch as an unexpected trainer slowly warms the heart of this cold warrior.
1. Prologue

**Warming The Heart of a Cold Warrior**

**Prologue-Birth of a Cold Warrior**

"Daddy? Where are you going?" the young child asked. It was late at night, and the boy's father looked as though he was going on a journey. The child was truly confused.

"Don't worry son, I'm just going out to train. Who knows, I might even bring you home a gift!" the boy's father said with a smile. The boy immediately glowed at the idea of a gift from his father. The boy nodded excitedly and hugged his father. The father took one last look at his son and smiled brightly, then left. The boy would have never guessed this was the last time he would ever see his father. The boy waited days, weeks, and finally after months, the boy received news.

The boy's father unfortunately died trying to catch a Pokémon. The Pokémon he was trying to catch was an infamous Houndoom, known for savagely attacking anyone who enters it's territory. The Houndoom never killed though, so the case baffled the officials. The father however, did leave something for the boy. A single Pokemon egg was found on the man, and with it, a note requesting that the egg be given to the boy. The boy was given the egg after receiving the news, tears rolling down his face and onto the egg. The idea that the boy would never see his father again tore the young boy apart. The boy's mother was at a loss. She had no idea how she was going to raise her son alone, and the grief of losing her husband was almost too much for her to handle. But she knew she had to be strong. She went to the boy and hugged him as tight as she could. The boy was still hugging the egg, as he didn't want to let go of his father's gift. It was then, that a miracle seemed to happen.

The egg started to hatch, and from it, came a Pokémon with black fur, with a red underbelly and jaw, and white, bone like protrusions coming from its back, and skull shaped protrusion from its head. The boy looked at the Pokémon in wonder.

"Momma, what kind of Pokémon is this?" the boy asked. The boy's mother looked at the Pokémon in front of her, wide-eyed. Her husbands untimely death finally made sense, but she couldn't let her son know that. She swallowed nervously, and began to speak.

"This is a Houndour, and it seems to really like you." she said honestly. She was right, as the Pokémon immediately cuddled up next to the boy with a small smile on its face. The boy hugged the young Houndour tightly, as this was the last thing he ever received from his father. It was here that he decided, that with this Pokémon, he would train to become the best.

"Just you wait Daddy, Houndour and I will become the best there ever was." the boy vowed. Houndour looked up at him and smiled, and let out a small bark. The boy smiled.

"I take it that you want to help me out then?" the boy asked. Houndour let out another bark. The boy smiled again and hugged Houndour tightly. The boy's mother smiled at her son's newfound determination. She knew he would become strong right, starting now. Now, she knew he was going to be alright.

* * *

Many years have passed since that day. Calder Grimnir, now 16 years old, was ready to start his Pokémon journey. He woke up early that day, with Houndour right beside him as usual. He looked at his partner with a solemn look on his face.

"Today's the day partner. Let's do this, for my Dad. Let's become the best in the world." Calder said. Houndour let out a howl, signaling out her determination. Calder smiled faintly, and started packing his supplies. He took one last look at Houndour before they left.

"Let's go show the world what we're made of."

* * *

**Hey guys! So, I know what you're probably thinking,"Really? Another new story?". Well..yeah lol its just, when I get an idea in my head, it stays there, and I need to write about it. I hope you enjoy this story, as Calder is my original character, and probably one of the most dynamic characters I've come up with. Calder will be going on a journey very similar to Ash's journey, but he won't suck lol. Updates for stories will come when they come, so please, bare with me. See you guys real soon!**


	2. Chapter 1-A Cold Start

**Chapter 1-A Cold Start**

Calder left a note for his mother, telling her that he was starting his journey. He thought she would understand, and he wasn't one for teary goodbyes. He and Houndour soon left their home in Blackthorn City and began down route 45. He made sure to stay out of any dense, grassy areas, as he learned the hard way that the Pokémon on this route were too strong for Houndour to handle. He could see Mount Silver way off in the distance. Legends of an unbeatable trainer at the mountains peak were often heard around Blackthorn. Legend has it that the trainer never spoke. Nobody knew his name, and he never issued an order to his Pokémon. To have that kind of trust with your Pokemon, where you didn't have to issue a command, and you trusted them to make their own decisions in battle..Calder wanted that with his Pokemon.

"_If there is a trainer like that, I've got to beat him. There's no way I'll let anyone stand in my way._" Calder thought to himself. He was nearing the end of route 45 when a he heard a rustling coming from some nearby grass. He paused and waited. There's no way he would stand a chance against a wild Pokémon on this route. He figured if he stood still, whatever was nearby would eventually pass. When the rustling stopped, he waited a minute, and began walking down again. He walked a few feet when he noticed Houndour was still in the same spot. Houndour was in a battle position, hunched over with her fangs bared, Calder stopped and listened once more. Houndour was much more in tune with her surroundings then he was. If Houndour thought there was a reason to be ready for a fight, then he trusted her judgment. It was then that a Teddiursa popped out of the grass.

Calder let out a sigh of relief. He was lucky, that's for sure. If he came across one of the many ground-type Pokémon on this route, there would have been some trouble. The Teddiursa that appeared however, did look quite angry.

"_We must have trespassed on it's territory..._" Calder thought to himself. This Teddiursa didn't seem terribly strong. Calder looked towards Houndour. Houndour looked and Calder and nodded. He smirked, knowing that she could never back down from a fight, no matter how strong the opponent was.

"Okay Houndour, this is our first battle on our journey. Let's make it count." Calder said to his Pokémon. Houndour nodded and ran over to Calder, waiting for her trainers first command. The wild Teddiursa looked ready to battle as well. Calder waited a moment before beginning, as he needed to collect his thoughts. He has been waiting for this day. He took a deep breath before issuing his first command.

"Okay, Houndour, lets start off with howl!" Calder called out. Houndour let loose a proud howl aimed towards the sky. Calder figured that this Teddiursa's level must be higher then his Houndour's, but lower then the other Pokémon in the area. He and Houndour could do this if they played their cards right. The wild Teddiursa came charging towards Houndour with it's claws positioned high.

"_A slash attack, eh_?" Calder thought. "_So I was right. This Teddiursa is stronger than Houndour. But that won't stop us." _Houndour had the common sense to dodge out of the way. She circled around the Teddiursa and waited for Calder's next command.

"Alright Houndour, use smog, followed by ember!" Houndour heard the command, and immediately let loose a gaseous, purple smoke from her mouth. The attack hit the unsuspecting Teddiursa. Teddiursa fell over, obviously poisoned. Houndour didn't let up however, and soon started spitting out the fire attack. The attack hit Teddiursa, and sent it flying into a nearby tree.

"Looks like the attack landed a critical attack. Good job Houndour!" Calder yelled out. Houndour let out a bark in appreciation, but didn't look away from Teddiursa. The Teddiursa began to get up again. Calder shook his head.

"Teddiursa, if you continue to battle, I can't guarantee you're safety." Calder called out to it. The Teddiursa wouldn't hear it, and began charging Houndour again. Calder shook his head.

"Have it your way then. Houndour, finish it with foul play!" Calder ordered. Houndour let out a howl and charged towards the Teddiursa. A dark, aura like energy began to surround Houndour as she ran. When the two Pokémon collided, Teddiursa was sent flying into another tree. The wild Teddiursa had swirls in its eyes, clearly knocked out. Calder smirked, while Houndour let out a loud victory howl.

"Good job Houndour, now lets get going to New Bark Town." Calder said. Houndour barked and returned to Calder's side. They walked through route 46 and route 29 with no problems. After several hours of walking in silence, they had reached their destination. Calder smiled, and looked down to Houndour.

"Here we are girl. This is where everything begins."

* * *

**Hey guys! I haven't posted a chapter for a story this soon since my first fanfiction. Well anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, took me a few hours and a bit of research to write this chapter. The initial feedback for this story was good, which makes me really happy. I'd like to make a shout out to sunburn preventing for his review, and I really hope that they enjoy this chapter as well. Well anyway, updates will come when they come, so please bare with me. I'm not used to writing Pokemon stories, so chapters will get longer down the road. Read and Review! See you guys next time!**


	3. Chapter 2-A Cold Welcome and A New Ally

**Chapter 2-A Cold Welcome and a New Ally **

Calder arrived in New Bark town and looked around. It was nothing special, that's for sure. Sure, it was a lot more green than Blackthorn City, but there were no caves for training, no Pokémon center, no Pokemart...it seemed like there was nothing to do in this town. There were only two things that caught Calder's eyes. The first being Professor Elm's Laboratory. It was the tallest building in the whole town, but even at that, it didn't look like anything special. The second thing that caught Calder's attention was the view of the sea. He knew that if you were to travel by sea from here, you could reach the Kanto region, home of the Pokémon World Champion. But regardless, the sea was probably the best thing about this town. Calder and Houndour looked at the sea for a while, just taking in the beauty of it, before finally making their way to Professor Elm's Lab. Calder had heard a lot about Professor Elm, and was rather interested in meeting him. He heard about how the Professor was known for studying unusual abilities of Pokémon, and how he was the first one to discover Pokémon Eggs, and even came up with several ways of Breeding. Calder was very impressed with the professor's work. While thinking about all the achievements that Professor Elm had made, Calder didn't realize that he was already at the Professor's Lab. Houndour let out a light bark, signaling their arrival. Calder snapped back to reality, and looked up at the Lab. It really wasn't anything special. In fact, it looked like a huge house. Regardless though, this was the professor's base of operations, and should be treated as such. Calder looked down at Houndour, and began to speak.

"Okay girl, this is it. This is where we get the Pokedex, and where our legend begins. Are you ready?" Calder asked. Houndour let out a loud howl, as away of saying yes, and she couldn't wait anymore. Calder smiled and patted her head. He couldn't blame her for her anticipation, mainly because he was kind of excited as well. Of course, he would never say that out loud. He had a habit of keeping his emotions to himself and Houndour. He had a hard time trusting anyone or anything else. His childhood was to thank for that. He had a pretty rough time after his father died. Although, that's a story for another time. Calder was about to knock on the door when it opened all of a sudden. Calder stopped, a little surprised by the sudden event that just happened.

"Why hello there! You wouldn't have happened to have heard a howl, have you?" a middle aged man asked Calder. This was the man who had opened the door. He wore glasses, and was wearing rather casual looking clothes with a lab coat over it. He had short brown hair, and some of it was spiked in the front. Calder stared at the man for a moment, a look of indifference on his face.

_"This must be Professor Elm...he doesn't look like a world renowned professor. He looks like a middle ages man with very odd hobbies.." _Calder thought to himself. He would have normally shown such a person nothing but disrespect, but seeing how this was probably Professor Elm in front of him, he decided to watch his tongue. At least, for now anyways. Calder started to answer his question.

"Yes sir. That was my Houndour right next to me. Sorry about the noise, she didn't mean to disturb you, she's just excited." Calder said, his voice near monotone. Professor Elm studied Calder for a moment, then looked down to Houndour. He seemed to accept the answer, and then smiled.

"Hey, that's no problem at all! I take it that you're a new trainer looking to start your journey?" Professor Elm asked. Calder was a bit shocked by the man's perceptiveness. He was starting to see how this man was a well respected professor. He snapped out of his surprise and began to speak again.

"Yes sir, that's correct. Me and Houndour are here to start our journey, and we were hoping you could give us a Pokedex." Calder answered honestly. Professor Elm's smile widened, and invited them to come inside. Calder accepted and walked inside, and was surprised once again. It may look like an ordinary house on the outside, but on the inside, the place was loaded with all sorts of high-tech equipment. There were many bookcases stuffed with books, and many tables covered in what appeared to be years worth of research. Calder was indeed impressed with the Laboratory.

"Welcome to my lab...uh...what did you say your name was?" the professor asked sheepishly. Calder sighed.

"Calder. Calder Grimnir." Calder stated. The professor nodded.

"Welcome to my lab Calder Grimnir! You're in luck today. You see, there are two other people here who are starting on their journey today as well, and they are already here!" Professor Elm said excitedly. Calder sighed once again. That was the last thing he wanted to hear. He couldn't stand being around other people. He didn't get along well with others. But he figured he could play nice for now. He needed the Pokedex, and he could resist the urge to lash out against others for the time being.

When they reached what looked to be the center of the lab, he found a girl with long blue hair, wearing a dark blue shirt with black jeans on. She had piercing blue eyes that seemed to study Calder as he walked in. His red eyes met hers for a second, and she instantly looked away. Calder stared at her for a moment more before looking towards the other trainer in the room. This trainer was a boy with red hair, wearing a long red and black shirt with the collar pulled up, black gloves, and blue jeans. He looked at Calder with a look of disapproval. Calder sent him a glare, and a stare down began between the two. Professor Elm, sensing the tension in the room, cleared his throat, catching the attention of the three trainers.

"Well lets say we get started, shall we?" Professor Elm asked. The three trainers nodded.

"Alright then, ladies first. Your name, miss?" Professor Elm asked. The girl stepped forward, and began to speak.

"Professor elm, my name is Clair Ibuki, originally from Blackthorn City, now living in Ecruteak City." the girl known as Clair said. Calder's eyes widened.

_"Clair?! What is she doing here? I haven't seen her since...that day...all those years ago..."_ Calder thought to himself, sadly. Clair looked at Calder once more, with a sad, but hopeful look in her eyes. Calder nodded, signaling that he stilled remembered her. She gave him a weak smile, and looked back at Professor Elm, who had a questioning look on his face. He decided not to pry however, and began speaking.

"It's nice to meet you Clair. Have you decided what Pokémon you want to bring with you on your journey?" Professor Elm asked. Clair nodded, and began to speak.

"Yes sir. I would like Totodile." Clair said. Professor Elm nodded. He turned around and grabbed a pokeball and a small, red, box like contraption. He handed them to Clair, and began again.

"Here is your Pokémon and your Pokedex, Clair. Now, take good care of Totodile. If you want to register for the Pokémon League, stop by the Pokémon Center in Violet City. The Nurse Joy there will register you there." Clair nodded and said thank you. She was about to leave when she took one last look at Calder, which didn't go unnoticed, as he had his eyes on her the whole time he was there. She gave him a look that said 'I'll see you outside'. Calder nodded, and Clair, who seemed content with his answer, left the lab. Professor Elm began again, and looked at the red haired trainer.

"Okay, now, what's your name?" the professor asked. The boy looked annoyed, as if he just wanted to get out of there.

"The name is Silver. Silver Yamato, from the Kanto region's Viridian City." the boy now known as Silver stated, rather rudely. The professor was taken aback by the boy's attitude, but didn't say anything.

"Well Silver, have you decided which Pokémon you'll be wanting?" the professor asked. Silver nodded.

"Cyndaquil." Silver stated simply. Professor Elm nodded, and retrieved the Pokeball and Pokedex for him. He handed them to Silver, who took them rather quickly while muttering a small thanks. Professor Elm just shook his head. He looked to Calder before speaking.

"Well Calder, it's your turn now. Will you be needing a starter?" the professor asked. Calder shook his head,

"No sir, I have my Houndour here, as you see." Calder said flatly. He was rather annoyed that the professor would ask such a stupid question. Professor Elm let started chuckling to himself.

"Yes of course, but allow me to give you another Pokémon then? It won't be a starter Pokémon, I can assure you that." Professor Elm stated. Calder thought for a moment. Surely another Pokémon couldn't hurt, right? Calder shook his head in a 'yes' manner. Professor Elm Smiled. He turned around and walked through a nearby door. Calder waited for a few minutes until the professor returned. Professor Elm returned with a pokeball in one hand, and grabbed a Pokedex along the way.

"This Pokémon here is a Horsea. It's a water type Pokémon that I've been studying. This one has a rare ability for it's species. I haven't finished researching it yet, but I get the feeling that this Pokémon belongs with you. So here, take this Pokémon and this Pokedex." Professor Elm said with a smile. Calder, took the two items in each hand and looked at the Professor.

"Thank you very much Professor. I'll be sure to train this Pokémon to it's full potential." Calder said with an air of determination. The middle-aged professor smiled before speaking again.

"I'm sure you will Calder, now get going. I think you've kept your friend waiting long enough." Elm said with a sly smile. Calder's eyes widened. He nodded, and turned to leave. He walked outside of the lab and found Clair waiting for him outside.

"It's been a while, hasn't it..Calder?"Up

* * *

**Wow, I'm really on a role here, aren't I? Well anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's probably the longest one I've written in a while. I'm sure you're all wondering about Calder's past, and I assure you, all of your questions will be answered along the line in later chapters. I'm sure you are also wondering why I have Calder a Horsea, aren't you? Well I'll tell you in the next chapter. Well, stay tuned guys! Updates will come a little slower now because I start school again tomorrow, so stay with. Well anyway, see you next time! Read and Review please!**


	4. Chapter 3-Cold Memories and A New Rival

**Chapter 3-Cold Memories and A Rival's Challenge**

"How long has it been, Calder?" Clair asked, sadly. There was an air of nostalgia around her, but a look of sadness in her bright blue eyes. Calder casted his gaze to the ground, unable to meet her in the eyes. There were too many painful memories that involved Clair, and being this close to her only made his feeling of guilt even worse. Houndour follow suite, as she too, had reason's to be guilty. Not wanting to make things more awkward then they already were, Calder, still looking down, finally spoke.

"It's...been a while." he said, quietly. Clair had a feeling he might act like this. She never blamed Calder for what happened all those years ago. In fact, she blamed herself for being too careless. But Calder is too hard himself, and he always has been.

* * *

_Flashback-4 years ago_

"Alright Houndour, looking good! Let's try using smog!" a young Calder called out to his still young Houndour. Currently, they were practicing using a smog attack against some nearby trees and other fauna on route 45. Their success had been minimal up to this point, as the toxic fumes were barely coming out of Houndour's mouth. However, that wouldn't stop Calder and Houndour, as they had a promise to fulfill. They had to become the best no matter what.

"Hey Calder, your mother is looking for you!" Calder heard a voice say. He looked behind him to see a young Clair walking towards him. Calder shrugged and continued his trainer with Houndour. This however, only made Clair angry.

"Honestly Calder, why do you train so hard? You make everyone who cares about you worry." Clair said. She did know why he was training as hard he was, but she did know that if he kept going at it like he was, he was going to hurt himself and Houndour. Calder heard her, but didn't regard what she said. No one was going to stop him from becoming the best. No one. He began to give Houndour another order, as her smog attack was making some progress.

"Okay Houndour, lets try ember!" Calder ordered. Houndour got into position and tried spewing out the fire attack. There was some success, but only a few sparks of heat came out of the young Pokémon's mouth. Houndour looked sad, frustrated by the fact that she couldn't perform these attacks. Calder took notice of this, and knelt down to Houndour's eye level.

"Hey, it's okay girl. We all have to start somewhere, right? Just you wait, before you know it, we'll have these attacks down in no time!" Calder said, reassuring the young dark-type Pokémon. Houndour smiled, and let off a small howl. Clair, watching the whole thing, smiled. Calder really did care about his Houndour, and his determination was astonishing for someone his age.

"Well, if you insist on training so much, I guess I'll go get that lunch that your mother prepared for you." Clair said, putting on a façade, as if she was still annoyed with Calder. Calder, not looking, formed a small smile and his face and began to speak.

"Thank you." he said. Clair looked back, stunned that he has actually spoken to her. You see, this isn't Clair's first time visiting Calder during a training session. She would often come by to see how the young, black haired trainer was doing. She would try to speak to him, but he never talked back. It didn't really bother her that he never talked to her, as she knew that he was going through a lot. She herself, knew what it was like to lose someone you care about. Her mother died when she was young, and even now, she wasn't so open with others.

After about an hour, Clair returned with the lunch that Calder's mother had made. When she returned, she surveyed the area around her. Several plants had been burned up, and a tree looked close to dying. She noticed Calder and Houndour laying down. She walked over to Calder, who had his eyes closed. Immediately assuming the worst, she started to shake Calder and began yelling.

"Calder?! Calder, wake up!" she screamed. However, the boy wouldn't wake up, but his sleeping Pokémon did. Houndour, thinking that Clair was attacking her master, tackled Clair, and bit her arm. Clair let our a sharp scream, which woke up Calder. He leaped up and saw the scene taking place before him.

"Houndour, down girl!" he ordered immediately. Houndour, hearing her master's orders, let go of Clair's arm. Calder ran over to Clair, and found a severe bite on her arm. Clair was bleeding profusely, and was barely conscious. Calder then picked up Clair bridal style and began running to Blackthorn City as fast as possible, with Houndour following close behind. After about 40 minutes of running, they arrived. Calder had made it to the gate of the city, but fatigue from his training the run he just made soon took over. He became dizzy, and his steps became clumsy, His vision became more and more blurry, and his breathing became shallow.

_"No! Not yet. I need to get Clair medical attention. This is all my fault. If only I hadn't pushed myself so hard.." _Calder thought to himself. He truly did feel guilty for the situation. A trainer is responsible for the actions of their Pokémon, so he knew that no matter what, this was his fault. Clair was still bleeding, but not as much as before, and had become unconscious. Calder was barely staying awake. It was late, and not many people were out at this time.

After some time, he finally made it to the Pokémon Center. He barged in and made his way to Nurse Joy, who instantly began helping him. Calder passed out minutes after making his way into the Pokémon Center. Sometime later, he woke up in a hospital room. He found out that if he had made it to the Pokémon Center any later then he did, they would have had to amputate Clair's arm from all the infections that had made its way into it, and the loss of blood as well. Calder found out that he also passed out because of extreme exhaustion and he suffered from the poisonous gasses coming from Houndour. Speaking of Houndour, there was talk around the town of putting a muzzle on Houndour. Anyone who brought up the suggestion was immediately met with a death glare from Calder. It was as if his cold, red eyes could pierce your very soul.

A few weeks after the event, Clair's family moved from Blackthorn City, as her father wanted her to be raised in a safe environment, away from such "dangerous Pokémon and people", as he put it. Calder had felt guilty about the whole situation ever since.

___Flashback-End_

* * *

"Calder, look at me." Clair said. Calder, didn't do anything at first. But soon enough, he looked up at Clair, his red eyes meeting her blue ones. It was then that he noticed something. There were tears at the corners of her eyes, and she was...smiling? Why would she be smiling. It was then that Clair did something completely unexpected. She ran up to Calder and hugged him.

"I've missed you so much." she said quietly. Calder was stunned. He didn't know what to do. He figured she would be angry with him. Part of him wanted to hug her back, but another part of him told him that he didn't deserve her kindness. He was about to speak up when they both heard a condescending voice nearby.

"Aw, how cute. A bunch of weak trainers in love. How pathetic!" the voice said. Calder and Clair separated and looked to see the red haired boy from Professor Elm's lab.

"You're Silver, right? What do you want?" Calder asked in a harsh tone. He was in no mood for anyone's attitude, and Silver was testing his patience. Silver sneered.

"Well, I was hoping I could get a decent battle from someone to test out this new Pokémon, but all I found were some weak trainers. Oh well, I guess you'll have to do!" Silver said with an arrogant tone evident in his voice. Calder growled. Houndour was furious at this boy's words towards her master.

"If it's a battle you want, it's a battle you'll get!" Calder said. He then looked back to Clair.

"I'm sorry, but this needs to come first." he said sadly. Clair nodded. Silver then called out his Cyndaquil. Calder pulled out his Pokedex, which began reading off known information about Cyndaquil.

"**Cyndaquil, the fire mouse Pokémon. Cyndaquil are usually very timid, but when startled, a fire will start on it's back, increasing the Pokémon's fire power." **the electronic voice spoke out. Calder began to think. He could try out his new Horsea, but he didn't know that much about it. He couldn't risk a victory on a liability. He came to the conclusion of using Houndour, as it had the most experience on his team. Also, he figured he would show this rookie what real fire power is.

"Alright Houndour, let's put this amateur in his place." Calder said calmly. Houndour ran out in front of Calder, and stared directly at Silver's Cyndaquil, giving it an intimidating glare. Cyndaquil flinched at Houndour's gaze, but stood it's ground.

"Okay Houndour, let's start things off with foul play!" Calder ordered. Houndour charged Cyndquil with a dark aura surrounding it, but Silver issued no order to dodge. Instead, Silver only smiled.

"How predictable."

* * *

**Sorry guys, but here's a cliffhanger for ya! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! There is more to Clair and Calder's back story, but more will be revealed as the story goes on. Anyway, I'll update as soon as I can. Tell me what you guys think of the story so far, as well as what you think of the characters. Well, I'll see you guys later! Please, read and review, your input really helps me when writing! **


	5. Chapter 4-A Hollow Victory

**Chapter 4-Hollow Victory**

"Okay Houndour, let's start things off with foul play!" Calder ordered. Houndour charged Silver's Cyndaquil with a dark aura surrounding her. However, Silver issued no order to dodge. He only smirked at the incoming attack.

"How predictable. Cyndaquil, use smoke screen!" Silver said confidently. The fire mouse pokemon obeyed, and let out a dark smoke from it's mouth, obscuring Houndour's sight. However, the dark Pokemon wouldn't back down and kept charging her enemy. She charged right into the smoke, and when nothing happened, Calder assumed the worst.

"Houndour, get out of there!" Calder said worriedly. Unfortunately, Silver wasn't about to let up, and issued a command.

"Now Cyndaquil, use tackle!" Silver commanded hurriedly. The next thing Calder knew, Houndour was launched from the black fog towards Houndour. Calder saw that if Houndour kept in the direction she was launched in, Houndour would end up in the water nearby. Calder reacted quickly, and ran into a position where he could safely catch his wounded Pokemon. Luckily, he did catch her, but was sent back a few feet from the impact. When he recovered, he saw that Hondour had suffered a critical hit. He looked at his Pokemon with worry clear on his face.

"Houndour, are you okay?" Calder asked. He tried to act like he wasn't really worried, but the small crack in his voiced betrayed him. Sure, Calder could play tough for anyone, but when it came to Houndour, that's when his walls dropped. So seeing Houndour hurt like this for the first time in a long time, it actually worried him. Houndour looked up at her trainer. She let out a small whimper to indicate there was pain, but licked his face to reassure him. She had been through worse, and she wasn't about to give up to this poorly trained fire Pokemon.

"Alright girl, let's finish this for real, sound good?" Calder asked his starter. Houndour barked in approval and lept out of Calder's grip and got quickly got into a battle stance. She was patiently awaiting an order from him.

Clair just stood there in awe at the moment that had just taken place. She didn't think Calder could care so much about anything. But he did. He really, truly did care about something. His first Pokemon was the only thing that seemed to break through Calder's walls. She couldn't help but feel happy that somewhere in there, Calder still had his feelings. She was quickly taken out of her thoughts as she heard Silver laughing.

"Is that honestly the best you can do? That's so disappointing. I was really hoping that you could at least give me a challenge. I knew you were weak." Silver said in a condescending manner. Calder glared at him.

"Alright Houndour, let's show him what we're made of. Use smog!" Calder said. Houndour quickly sent out the poisonous gas. Within seconds, it spread through out the whole area. Silver frowned. He knew that because of this, Cyndaquil would mostly likely become poisoned. Unfortunately for him, the poor mouse Pokemon did. Calder actually smirked a little. He knew that Houndour's smog attack was almost as potent as any poison type Pokemon's smog. He was betting on the chance that Cyndquil would become poisoned, and he wasn't let down. His strategy was working, and now it was time to finish this.

"Alright Houndour, now rush in with bite!" he called out. Houndour obeyed, and charged forward. Silver knew there wasn't enough time to use smoke screen, so he actually needed to dodge this attack.

"Cyndaquil, dodge the attack!" he ordered. However, the poison was really taking its toll on Cyndaquil. The fire mouse tried to obey it's master's orders, but was too weak to move. Silver cursed under his breath as Houndour had finally found her prey, and quickly sunk her fangs into Cyndaquil's body.

"Now Houndour, launch Cyndaquil into the air!" Calder ordered. Houndour obeyed, and with some effort, threw the poor Pokemon into the air. Silver watched with eyes wide open as he knew there was little, if not nothing he could do. Cyndaquil let out a weak cry, as if begging for mercy. Sadly, its cry fell on deaf ears, as Calder wasn't letting up. As the fire mouse Pokemon was descending, Calder issued his next command.

"Now Houndour, use tackle and keep him off the ground!" Calder said coldly. Clair's eyes widened. He was planning on keeping Cyndaquil airborne, as if to teach a lesson to Silver and his Pokemon. She couldn't help but feel bad for the Pokemon. It was going to be humiliated in it's first battle.

Houndour did as she was told and kept Cyndaquil juggled in the air for a few minutes. Silver watched helplessly as he knew there wasn't anything he could. He lost this battle. Calder saw the look in his eyes and decided he had enough. Silver had learned his lesson.

"Alright Houndour, that's enough." Calder called out. Houndour immediately stopped, and stood at attention. Cyndaquil soon feel to the ground. The poor Pokemon couldn't even stand up it was beaten so bad. It was covered and bruises and scratches and was shaking slightly. Silver took out his Pokeball for the Pokemon and returned it. He walked over to Calder, glaring all the while. When they were in arms length, he began to speak.

"I won't forget this. I will get payback you whelp, and you'll be begging for mercy, do you understand me?" Silver said threateningly. Calder matched his glare, and wasn't intimidated at all.

"I'll be waiting." Calder said calmly. Silver paid the losers fee, which ended up being about 500 Poke-dollars. He then left on his way to who knows where. Calder turned around to see Clair, but was shocked to see the look on her face. She was mortified.

"Calder, how could you?" she asked him. Calder's look turned into one of confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked. genuinely confused. Clair just shook her head.

"You tortured that poor Pokemon. Why?" she asked angrily. Calder stared at her blankly for a moment before answering.

"He called me weak. I needed to teach him otherwise." Calder stated, as if it were obvious. Clair couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"And here I thought you had changed…" she said before walking away. Calder just let her go. He knew there was no point in trying to say anything to change her mind. Houndour walked up to her master with a sad look on her face. Calder kneeled down, and started to pet her.

"It's okay girl. We'll stay her for the night and continue on tomorrow, okay?" Calder asked. Houndour barked in approval. Calder smiled and stood up, and proceeded to walk to Professor Elm's to ask if he knew of a place to stay for the night.

* * *

**Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to update this story. I didn't really know how I wanted it to go, but I think it came out pretty good. But I want your input as well ya know? So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry it's so short. I'll update when I can. Until then, I'll see you next time! If you have any questions or thoughts, please share :D **


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